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Honors Theses The Division of Undergraduate Studies

2011 The Interrogation of the American Dream in 's Ashley Miskoff

Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please [email protected] ABSTRACT

The Interrogation of the American Dream in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins

Assassins is a truly American musical. Sondheim shares the stories of some of the most infamous assassins in American History in an untraditional way. Through ballads, duets, monologues, and scenes, Sondheim gives a voice to some unconventional protagonists. Assassins also holds a mirror up to American society as Sondheim tries to uncover a deeper reasoning behind why these assassins committed these American tragedies.

My paper will focus on three major themes found in Assassins. First, the indictment of the American Dream is an overarching theme in Assassins. Sondheim reveals some of the faults in this idea and shows the consequences American Dream has on the assassins. Second, the feelings of disaffection and loneliness among the assassins is a key theme in understanding a common thread among the assassins and what that may contribute to assassination. Third, the importance of media image and attention that the assassins and the American people in the play share is an important theme to examine. It shows how the growing reliance on media and the constant need for attention that American culture thrives on negatively affects both the assassins and the American people.

Assassins is a thought provoking musical that will stand the test of time. 21 years after Assassins opened off Broadway it still has contemporary relevance to today’s society. Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins discusses important American issues and creates a necessary dialogue for contemporary American audiences.

KEYWORDS: Stephen Sondheim, Assassins, American Dream Miskoff 2

THE STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Visual Arts, Theater, and Dance

THE INTERROGATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM IN STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S ASSASSINS

By

ASHLEY MISKOFF

A Thesis submitted to the

Department of Theater

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with

Honors in the Major

Degree Awarded:

Spring, 2011 Miskoff 3

The members of the committee approve the honors in the major thesis of Ashley Miskoff defended on April 13th 2011.

______

Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

Professor Directing Thesis

______

Professor Tom Ossowski

Committee Member

______

Dr. Jennifer Jerit

Committee Member Miskoff 4

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Beth Osborne, whose encouragement, guidance and support from the prospectus level all the way to the final product enabled me to develop a greater understanding of the subject.

I would also like to thank my committee members Tom Ossowski, and Dr. Jennifer Jerit for all their continued support with this project.

Lastly, I offer my deepest regards and thanks to my friends, family, and D.J for their love and support during the completion of this project. Miskoff 5

THE INTERROGATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM IN STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S ASSASSINS

Lights up on a seedy carnival with a sign hanging over a shooting gallery that reads,

“Learn to shoot in defense of you and your country.” A carnival barker tries to lure fairgoers in by tempting them with guns and prizes. “All you have to do is shoot to win” the barker announces. One by one the assassins make their way to the stage. As they are handed their weapon of choice by the proprietor, the assassins contemplate shooting the president. Thus begins Stephen Sondheim’s political thriller, Assassins.

My project is two-fold. The first part of my thesis is a research-based paper exploring the production history, major themes in the text, contemporary relevance, and my vision for performance of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, Assassins. The second part is the practical application of putting my research into action as I direct a production of the show. I will use my research to further the directing process and foster discussion with the cast of actors working with me. Working on this project not only allows me to grow as a theatre practitioner but also allows the opportunity for my production team, actors, and audience to think critically about the political and social issues that this musical raises.

I was first drawn to Assassins by Sondheim’s upbeat and catchy, yet thought-provoking score. I found myself constantly humming the words to “Ballad of Guiteau” and then questioning why I loved a song so much when it dealt with a presidential assassination and ended in a hanging. The clever lyrics achieve a very particular mood—one that is both uplifting yet chilling.

The music switches between a happy, peppy tone and a more somber one as the actor accepts his Miskoff 6

dismal fate. In this way, the music juxtaposes two important themes by using the upbeat music to

“dress up” and conceal the harsh reality of the situation. This is particularly revealing to the idea

of the interrogation of the American dream. In one respect America is perceived to be the land of

opportunity with streets sprinkled in gold; yet the cruel reality is that this dream is not easily

attained. The audience, who is not expected to be knowledgeable about the subject matter, is

presented with a familiar story of the fabled American Dream and then witnesses the

consequences of these individuals who took that dream to an extreme.1 In Assassins, Sondheim humanizes historic American villains, depicting them as people with stories that should be told.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Assassins opened off-Broadway at on December 18, 1990. The

show opened during the political tension and strife of the first Gulf War, which was not the most

conducive to a show about assassination. Generally in time of war people tend to be split

politically, a situation that is frequently shown through the decrease in approval ratings of the

president. However this was not the case in 1991. “The country was united behind the hugely

popular wartime president, the first George Bush” (Rich 2004). According to a Gallup Poll his

approval ratings were in the high 80's and, the war notwithstanding, polls showed that 57 percent

of Americans thought the nation was headed in the ''right direction” (“Report on Presidential

Approval”). Newspaper articles appearing on the day of Assassins’ premiere pointed to a country

worried about the war abroad. “U.S. Bombs Kuwait Oil Stations'' was

headline on the day the reviews came out for the first Assassins in 1991. Just below it on page

1 See Appendix for more information on the assassins. Miskoff 7

one: ''Fear of Terrorism Is Curbing Travel'' (Rich 2004). In spite of political turmoil abroad,

Assassins was a hit. Although the show opened amidst the first Gulf War, it enjoyed sold-out

houses for its short run.

Ten years later, in the fall of 2001, Assassins was scheduled to open on Broadway at the

Studio 54 theatre. However, in the wake of September 11th, Sondheim and (book writer of Assassins) decided to postpone the opening. In an interview, Sondheim said, “We felt this was just not a time when an audience could hear what we have to say—not just because of the wave of patriotism, but because of the fact that Assassins raises some questions about the purpose of this country and what people expect from it” (Rich 2002). Sondheim suspected that a

New York City audience would not be ready to listen to the issues that Assassins raises because the show challenges some very fundamental ideas that form the basis of the American identity. In the aftermath of September 11th, the audience likely would not have been ready to listen to criticism about the country’s ideals.

The political and social content may have been too sensitive in light of the events of 9/11 so it was postponed for three years and finally opened on Broadway on April 22, 2004. Assassins won five including best revival of a musical in 2004, but closed after only 101 performances, even though the audience response to the show was overwhelmingly favorable.

The audience receptiveness to the show 13 years later was no coincidence; the political and social climate in 2004 had changed remarkably. “It’s not the show that has changed so much as the world. The huge difference in response to Assassins from one war in Iraq to the next is about as empirical an indicator of the larger drift of our post 9/11 culture as can be found” (Rich 2004).

Rich’s comments suggest that Americans were beginning to drift from their feelings of Miskoff 8

unconditional patriotism and in turn more open to seeing a show that confronted the fundamental

ideas of America. The success of the 2004 revival signaled a change in audience receptiveness to

this type of politically charged show.

According to a Harris interactive poll, the approval rating of President George W. Bush

soon after 9/11 was at 88%. Just three years after the attacks however, his approval ratings

plummeted. 57% of the country said that America was on the ''wrong track” and President Bush’s

approval ratings hit 48% (Corso). Against this grim backdrop, worsened further by a seemingly

permanent war on terrorism, Assassins hit much closer to home for audiences. In a 2004 interview, Weidman said, “the country is a far less comfortable and complacent place than it was in 1991. It was always my and Mr. Sondheim's intention to knock the audience off balance in the show's opening phrase—in which a carnival barker at a shooting gallery invites everyone to step right up and ‘kill a president’ '' (Rich 2004). But instead of folding their arms across their chests, as theatergoers did at the original Assassins, audiences arrived off-balance at the start and were

willing to go with it. “In 1991 it seemed like a cheap trick when the actors pointed their guns at

the audience,” Mr. Weidman adds. ''Now we all feel vulnerable. You feel anything can happen

now that we've all become potential targets” (Rich 2004). The change in audience reaction and

response to Assassins helped to draw in more crowds who wanted to view this controversial

show.

SCRIPT ANALYSIS

Understanding the historical context of the original production is crucial to analyzing the

text of Assassins. By further examining the book and lyrics of Assassins I will be able to focus on the major ideas and questions Sondheim and Weidman explore. This will in turn allow me to Miskoff 9 better educate the actors in the show and help me as a director to focus in on what I want to convey to the audience. Sondheim and Weidman are asking the audience to sympathize with and

—in some cases—even root for the villains. Sondheim focuses on some major themes throughout the show. Three major themes in Assassins include the indictment of the American

Dream, the feelings of disaffection and loneliness among the assassins, and the importance of media image and attention.

Assassins is a one act musical by Stephen Sondheim that delves into the lives of individuals who assassinated or attempted to assassinate the presidents of the . The show skips through historical assassinations, opening with all of the assassins gathering one-by- one at a carnival. Sondheim frames the show with characters that represent opposing perspectives of the American Dream. The Proprietor lures the assassins into playing a game of chance where the objective is to shoot the president. The Proprietor serves multiple functions on stage throughout the show but his main role is to act as the antithesis of the Balladeer, the musical’s narrator. If the Balladeer represents an ideal American society where anyone can grow up and achieve the American Dream, the Proprietor is the voice of the voiceless, those who tried and failed—who are bitterly unhappy with their lives and crave change in their country. The

Proprietor is “the assassins’ motivation and opportunity. He is America, a land where people are told to follow an American Dream that does not exist and that abandons those who fail, a country where easy access to guns makes killings an effortless way to take out man’s frustrations” (Miller

198). The Proprietor provides the means and reminds each assassin of his or her motivation by giving out handguns and making them aware of their discontented lives. The Proprietor Miskoff 10

represents the side of America that has no fairytale ending; one that includes only lost

opportunities and a grim future.

In contrast, the Balladeer is representative of American optimism—the ideal (and myth)

of the American Dream. Throughout the show he witnesses the assassinations and relates them to the audience in ballad form, as our narrator. Each scene offers a glimpse into the life of each assassin through a combination of dialogue, ballads, monologues, and group numbers. Music plays an integral role in allowing the audience to connect to the characters on stage by adding in jokes and playful rhymes, but also allows the audience to disconnect to them by adding in racial slurs as shown in “The Ballad of Booth.” By combining different historically American musical forms such as spirituals, folk music, patriotic marches, and soft rock-ballads, Sondheim sets the tone and mood to manipulate the audience sympathies for the characters. The cheerful upbeat portions of the folk songs the Balladeer sings in the “Ballad of Czolgosz,” “Ballad of Booth,” and “Ballad of Guiteau” help the audience to emotionally disengage from the reality of the assassination; the more emotional sections of the songs grant the audience permission to feel sympathy for these characters.

The ideal of the American Dream drives the characters in this play to have unrealistic expectations about their lives and ultimately leads them to attempt assassinations. Writer- historian James Truslow Adams wrote that the American Dream was “a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone” (Adams 133). This glorified idea of the

American Dream compels the assassins or would-be assassins to adopt a sense of entitlement.

Charles Guiteau relates his idea of America to the rest of the assassins in scene three when he proclaims, “This is America! Land of opportunity... Last week I was a bill collector, and next Miskoff 11 week I’m going to be Ambassador to France!” (Sondheim 17). Guiteau’s blatant optimism is emblematic of the American Dream. Though it would normally be considered a good thing, his overzealous attitude leads him to disappointment when President Garfield denies his request to be ambassador. When life does not turn out the way these assassins believe it should, they take their anger and disappointment out on the face of America—the president—and the symbol of the American Dream itself: The Balladeer.

The Balladeer is placed in many of the songs to allude to the presence of the American

Dream. In the “Ballad of Czolgosz,” for example, he sings:

In the USA

you can have your say

you can set your goals and seize the day

you’ve been given the freedom to work your way

to the head of the line. (Sondheim 37)

This song has a double meaning because even as the Balladeer is preaching that in America if you work hard enough you can achieve your goals, , a,factory worker who works his hardest but never amounts to anything better, finds his own dreams out of reach no matter how hard he works. As he makes his way to the head of the line to meet President McKinley, he takes aim and fires. The Balladeer fails to mention the reality of actually attaining the American

Dream and instead, like many of verses the Balladeer sings, focuses relentlessly on the possibility of the American Dream.

The Balladeer represents the “American People, eager to oversimplify, happy to see things in black and white. His inane theme-park optimism in every scene—as Czolgosz steps up Miskoff 12

and shoots McKinley, as Guiteau marches up to the gallows—becomes more transparent as the

evening wears on and we get to know the assassins” (Miller 193). In the song “Another National

Anthem,” the Balladeer again preaches his idea of the American Dream as one last attempt to

persuade the assassins to believe. He sings “You can be what you choose from a mailman to a

President. [. . .] There are prizes all around you if you’re wise enough to see: The delivery boy’s

on Wall Street, and the Usherette’s a rock star.” (Sondheim 59). Like Willy Loman, the assassins

believed the story they were told that in America they could have anything they wanted if they

worked hard enough. The Balladeer “does not tell them about the millions of other mailmen and

delivery boys and usherettes who never got anything. He tells them that the country’s built on

dreams, but he does not mention that it is also built on bloodshed, corruption, ruthlessness, greed,

and prejudice” (Miller 200). Though the Balladeer proclaims that anyone can grow up to be

president, the assassins learned the hard way that they may never get the opportunity that the

Balladeer—and the American Dream—promise.

In the final scenes of the play, the uprising assassins literally and figuratively consume

the Balladeer in the song “Another National Anthem.” In the Broadway revival and in my

production, the Balladeer transforms from the narrator into the character of

for the final scenes in the show. This technique is seen in other Sondheim musicals as well,

including in which the narrator also plays the part of the mysterious man. This device is important because the narrator represents a very specific view—likely that of the majority of the audience—and so his transition to the role of one of America’s most notorious assassins is particularly disturbing. When the Balladeer disappears so do the myths that he represents. Sondheim gathers each assassin or potential assassin together; they meet, interact, Miskoff 13

and inspire each other to commit infamous acts in the name of the American Dream. “Another

National Anthem” encourages the audience to think more critically about the Balladeer’s idea of

the American Dream. This scene demonstrates the assassins rising to power and taking out their built up frustrations on the Balladeer and the American Dream itself. This song exposes the realities of how extremists can reason through their actions and effectively destroy the American

Dream. At the same time this moment also evokes humanizing characteristics in the assassins in which the audience may be able to relate. There is an unspoken sympathy for the assassins

“Maybe there is another national anthem, another American Dream, one that is more real and

attainable. For the first time the assassins find strength not only in their number but also in their

truth” (Miller 194). This National Anthem is “for the suckers, for the pikers, for the ones who

might have been” (Sondheim 61).

Sondheim does not let the audience—the American people—off the hook. Since the

Balladeer is the voice of the American people, then it is the people of America that perpetuate

this lie that anyone can reach the American Dream. “Even though we know it is not true we keep

saying it is, in newspapers, on television, in the movies, from parents to children, from teachers

to students. It is the carrot we dangle in front of all the Americans from birth to death. In

America, we say, anything is possible” (Miller 194). American society puts so much emphasis on winning and becoming successful at something, failure is not an option. The assassins in the show represent the group of people who ultimately failed to obtain their American Dream and in turn have become America’s failures—America’s outcasts. The danger starts when the characters realize once and for all that the American Dream is just an illusion. The assassins realize this in

“Another National Anthem” when they overthrow the Balladeer’s idea of the American Dream Miskoff 14

and form their own group of dissatisfied American misfits. They sing, “Right, it’s never gonna

happen, is it? No, we’ll never see the day arrive” (Sondheim 60). They realize they will never get

their “prize” so they band together as part of the “other” America. “We’re the other national

anthem folks. The ones who can’t get in to the Ballpark” (Sondheim 61). Baseball is, after all,

the great American past time and these individuals clearly do not fit into the accepted American

identity. The assassins are “products, however defective, of the same values and traditions as the men they tried to murder. These are the lost and underprivileged souls who, having been denied every American’s dream of growing up to be President, try to achieve a warped nightmarish inversion of the dream instead” (Rich 1991). In a world where Americans are raised believing that the mailman can win the lottery and the usherette can become a rock star, there is no room for outcasts: immigrants, socialists, wannabe ambassadors, or racists (Sondheim, 62).

While the Balladeer focuses on the ideals of the American Dream, directly confronts the falsehoods of this Dream. Byck’s second monologue is a direct indictment of the

American Dream. He complains that everything is a lie—the retail industry, politicians, and even parents as they lie to their children. He says, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t but it is. And schmucks like you keep telling us it isn’t!” (Sondheim 56). Growing in rage, he continues to describe the horror of finding out that these things are all lies, and worse that the

American Dream itself is a lie. “They lie to us. They lie about what’s right. They lie about what’s wrong…And when we realize they’re lying, really realize it in our gut, then we get scared” (Sondheim 56). Byck’s trust in the government wears thin and he feels betrayed by the president he voted for and trusted. Since voting doesn’t matter and the common man cannot Miskoff 15

really change things through normal channels, Byck comes to the same conclusion as Czolgosz

(Miller 199): “We do the only thing we can do. We kill the President” (Sondheim 56).

Sondheim represents these nine assassins as complex characters, who cannot simply be

labeled good, bad, right, or wrong. In Booth’s case, many people during his time, especially in

the South, would likely have agreed with his grievances against Lincoln as a President, and

Sondheim shows this. The indictments that Booth writes down in his diary in “The Ballad of

Booth” reiterate the grievances of the Confederacy. Even the Balladeer confirms this, singing,

“While Lincoln who got mixed reviews, because of you, John, now gets only raves” (Sondheim

14). If Booth had not assassinated Lincoln, the 16th president’s legacy would likely be completely different. “Americans want to believe that Booth could not have legitimate complaints against Lincoln” (Miller 193) because then they would have to sympathize with him.

The Balladeer sings about how Booth was merely upset about his fading career or his jealously over his brother. The audience already will have their own feelings towards Booth prior to the show, and Sondheim anticipates this. Sondheim plays into the audience’s preconceived notions by allowing the Balladeer to present him that way. The Balladeer sings, “Your brother made you jealous, John, you couldn’t fill his shoes. Was that the reason tell us John—Along with bad reviews” (Sondheim 9). But then as the scene progresses, we hear and see Booth, not as the pitiful psychopath the Balladeer describes, but as a man concerned first and foremost with saving his country and ending a devastating war. Booth sings, “Hunt me down, smear my name, say I did it for the fame, what I did was kill the man who killed my country. Now the southland will mend, now this bloody war can end because someone slew the tyrant just as Brutus slew the tyrant” (Sondheim 12). Sondheim slowly sways the audience to see a different, understandable Miskoff 16

side of Booth. But typical to Sondheim he does not let this feeling last too long. Towards the end

of the song, just as Booth finishes explaining the devastation of the South, Sondheim shows us

another side of him. In a passionate rage—and at the musical highpoint of the song—Booth

sings, “How the union can never recover from that vulgar, high and mighty Niggerlover—

Never!” (Sondheim 13). Sondheim silences our sympathy for Booth once we see this darker,

racist, side of him, leaving the audience to wrestle with complexity of the characters and ideas he

is introducing to us. Booth conceives of his actions as heroic—he “slays the tyrant”—but the

Balladeer, like many Americans today, views his actions as barbaric and horrifying. Wounded

and about to be shot to death by Union soldiers, Booth urges the Balladeer to tell his side of the

story so people will understand his motives. The Balladeer seems to agree, but after Booth dies,

the Balladeer destroys the diary and effectively rewrites a more acceptable history for the

American people. This example shows that sometimes it is easier to place blame on one

individual, if it promises unity amongst society, rather than dealing with the real, sometimes less

glamorous, disparities in our country.

Sondheim humanizes each assassin’s motives and goals. In Assassins, Booth and

Czolgosz are the only assassins who actually assassinated the president for political reasons. The other assassins’ motives are more personal (unrequited love, dedication to a cause, attention, etc.). Nonetheless, Sondheim focuses in on one clearly defined issue amongst American society.

The show suggests that we, as part of the American society, “are responsible for making these people—who are just like many of us in many ways—into assassins with our too-hyped

American Dream and our culture of violence” (Miller 198). All of these assassins are uniquely

American and believe they were wronged in some way. “The general American tendency is to Miskoff 17

view these assassinations as products of deranged minds, of individual psychopathology. That

view sequesters them from the larger society, and lets the rest of us off the hook” (Lifton 1990).

Merely writing these assassins off as mentally unstable criminals misses the bigger issue and

releases American society from responsibility. The show focuses on the personalities of these

nine central characters and portrays them in such a way that they are appealing in some way.

“These perennial villains are the heroes of the piece, and the audience (as part of a larger society)

is essentially the villain” (Miller 198). In this way, this complex musical challenges deeply held

beliefs that are fundamental to the American national identity.

Two common threads among the assassins are their deep-seated feelings of inadequacy

and loneliness. They are misfits in American society, and see a gaping hole between who they are and who they want to be. Guiseppe Zangara describes himself as "an American nothing" (Sondheim 23), and John Hinckley and sing the refrain, "I am nothing” in their joint ballad entitled “Unworthy of your love” (Sondheim 42). The audience can relate to these individuals after hearing their stories and because we all know what it feels like to be left out or feel we are not good enough. Though the assassins take their feelings of isolation and inadequacy too far by choosing to assassinate a president, Sondheim demonstrates their psychological pain in a way that makes it possible for the audience to empathize with many of their plights. That alone is chilling enough to audiences who came into the theatre either not knowing who these people are or having ill feelings towards these historical characters.

In the cases of these nine assassins or would-be assassins, feeling ignored and unimportant made them crave recognition even more, whether in the form of good reviews for a theatrical performance, the obsessive pursuit of love, or the airing of one’s political views. For Miskoff 18

the assassins, recognition manifested in the form of a gun because, as Sondheim so eloquently

explains, “When you've a gun - / Everybody pays attention” (Sondheim 32). This idea of the

power and the right to have a gun dates back to the founding of America, where the pursuit of

happiness and the right to bear arms were not only inalienable but also inseparable (Smolin

2009). The pursuit of happiness and the right to bear arms are fundamental to American identity.

While the pursuit of happiness was written in the Declaration of Independence and the right to

bear arms was an amendment to the Constitution, Sondheim puts these fundamental ideas at odds

in such a way that these ideals defeat one another. This becomes clear in the song “Everybody’s

Got The Right to Be Happy” when the assassins sing about their right to pursue their dreams as

they raise their guns in the air in a moment of silent menace. The assassins corrupt the

constitutional rights given to them by the very government they strive to destroy—undermining

the intentions of the founding fathers. Having so many guns on stage will undoubtedly make the

audience uncomfortable and assign greater power to the assassins. The guns symbolize strength

and give the assassins a sense of authority, which otherwise they would not have. Finally they are

getting the attention that they so crave.

The media is another important theme to look at when dealing with Assassins, not only because American society is fixated on violence but because of the increasing number of individuals looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. In today’s media driven society, image is everything. The media is an important outlet for Americans to access information instantaneously and gain recognition. In Assassins, both Zangara and the crowd that witnesses his assassination attempt on Franklin D. Roosevelt are concerned with their media images. The media and the issue of assassination are linked in a variety of ways. By looking at the bystanders in the song Miskoff 19

“How I Saved Roosevelt,” one can see that they essentially want the same thing as the assassins:

attention. The bystanders want to have their photographs taken by the press and have their

“heroic” stories recognized. At the same time, we see Zangara in the electric chair getting upset

because no press are interviewing him or taking his picture. He laments, “why are there no

photographers, only capitalist [sic] get photographers” (Sondheim 23). The audience sees how

media-obsessed the bystanders are and how their need for the spotlight takes precedence over the

important issue of the assassination attempt. Zangara’s own drive for media attention highlights the importance of this American institution. Even in the final moments of his life, Zangara is concerned with the media and how refuse to give him the attention and recognition he thought he would receive by assassinating the president. The bystanders who witnessed and were involved in this traumatic event seem to care only about how they will be portrayed in the media. They sing “Lucky I was there! I’m on the front page—is that bizarre? All of those pictures, like a star” (Sondheim 23). And the media seems to only care about these lucky witnesses instead of reporting both sides of the story.

The media often reports on one side of the whole story and provides a clear scapegoat to the problem. When a tragedy such as a presidential assassination or school shooting occurs almost every news station will be playing similar coverage on capturing and vilifying the “bad guy” who did it. “The killing of presidents has become part of the mass media revolution. And the boundary between media image and grotesque life action becomes blurred” (Lifton 1990).

Television offers instant, sound byte-sized answers to the questions we as a society have, especially the most common question: Who did it? The media provides comfort by uniting its audience against one common enemy. Instead of looking at the broader picture of why they did it, Miskoff 20

our society is fixated on who did it. In the song “Something Just Broke” the various American people sing in unison “Fix it up fast, please— Till it’s just smoke, Till it’s only ‘something that passed’”(Sondheim 85). This song highlights the idea that some people want a quick and easy fix to major problems in American society that if left unfixed, will only perpetuate more similar tragedies.

Sondheim is exploring fundamental issues of American society that may be hard to hear but are important in the effort to fix some of our countries troubles. The idea of the American

Dream is central to American identity and is something society strives for but is often unrealistic and can lead to feelings of failure. Dissatisfaction and loneliness leads to outcasts in a society that values winners. The media contributes to idealizing the American dream and emphasizes our stigma placed on misfits. This cycle of perpetuating the pressure placed on individuals who have not attained their goals breeds a further fragmented society of disenfranchised people. Assassins

shows how, for some of these disenfranchised people, the only answer is to act in extreme ways

to realize their “right to be happy.”

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE

Many of the major themes I have considered above retain their contemporary relevance.

The attainability of the American dream, the way misfits are treated in America, and the

importance of media in American culture are all issues that remain at the forefront of American

society. Assassins is particularly relevant today given the current political climate in the United

States because many people want to see change in where the country is headed. The election of

President Barack Obama showed an increase in the youth vote. According to CIRCLE, an Miskoff 21

estimated 22 million young Americans under the age of 30 voted in the 2008 presidential

election, two million more voters than in the 2004 (Kirby and Kawashima-Ginsberg). With this

many young people showing up to the polls to express their political views, it is not surprising to

see a shift in political ideas emerge.

Since this production will take place on a college campus, I am confident that audience

members who come to this show will be aware of, or at least acknowledge, some of the social

and political issues going on at the moment. Some of the same issues and themes of the play can

be related back to the problems Americans are facing today including the current state of the

economy (together with high unemployment), an increased importance of the media, and the

interrogation of the American Dream for citizens today. In Assassins, Czolgosz hates his job working in the factory but believes that he can never rise above his class level. When the eternally optimistic Guiteau tells him to find another job, Czolgosz says “What other job? There is no other job! This is the only opportunity for me!” (Sondheim 17). Italian immigrant Zanagra, similarly expresses his situation in “How I saved Roosevelt.” He sings, “When I am a boy, no school. I work in a ditch. No chance. The smart and the rich ride by, don’t give a glance” (Sondheim 20). These particular assassins highlight the hardships of the working class and how it is not as easy to attain the American Dream as they might have thought.

In addition to the current political and economic climate, the U.S. just witnessed a political assassination attempt. On January 8, 2011, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an

Arizona Democrat, and at least 17 others were shot at a local event called “Congress on Your

Corner.” The shootings in Arizona are an example of how assassinations and the media coverage of these events are still relevant and important in today’s society. News coverage compared the Miskoff 22

shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, to several previous assassins. Loughner reportedly researched

famous assassins on his home computer (Popat). In fact, the similarities between Loughner and

the assassins in the show are remarkable. Already the media has released information describing

Loughner’s troubled past; like Oswald, Loughner was rejected by the Army and his peers at

school; reminiscent of Hinckley, he stalked his intended victim; in homage to Byck, Loughner

created several rambling Internet videos. Some of the other assassins in the show exhibit similar

characteristics to Loughner as well, including their seemingly innocent dispositions. Similar to

Moore and Byck, who were deemed “harmless” by officials, on the day of the shooting, the

“Arizona Game and Fish Department officer who stopped him had no probable cause to search

the vehicle—Mr. Loughner was composed and polite” (Popat). Assassins will resonate that much more with current audiences because of the recent media attention this story has been given.

Loughner is an example, just like the assassins in the show, of the dangers of a society that places such value on the American dream and the shame of feeling isolated. This society will continue to attract extremists that lash out if left ignored.

In Assassins, Sondheim portrays the effects and aftermath of tragedy on American soil and demonstrates some ways in which the American people cope with tragedy. In the song

“Something Just Broke,” Americans share where they were and what they were doing when a tragedy such as an assassination took place. This will resonate with the audience members coming to see this production because anyone can relate to the uncertainty and grief experienced during a tragic event. Since many of the audience members will be college aged students, they will be able to recall their own personal reactions to American tragedies like the attacks on Miskoff 23

September 11th or the mass shootings at Virginia Tech.2 In Assassins, Sondheim shows that, if

left unaddressed, the pattern of these extreme situations will continue to perpetuate.

REALIZATION IN PERFORMANCE

The second part of my project is to present a fully realized production of Assassins. My production concept revolves around the idea of the All-American carnival with a twist. On one hand, a carnival is a fun, family-friendly venue filled with activities such as games, rides, and eating. On the other side however, are the people that work for the carnival as ride operators, ticket collectors, and misfits who are showcased for their oddities. This not-so-glamorous side of the carnival is an important concept that I would like to see featured in the opening scene because it sets the audience up for the contrast between the perception and reality of the

American Dream.

Since Assassins opens up at a carnival, the audience will be introduced to both sides of the spectrum from the start: the fairgoers and the outsiders. The scenic design reflects this range as well; I would like the design to give the impression that this once fantastical and whimsical carnival is now destroyed, tattered, and worn out. It should look like a carnival set in purgatory or some nightmarish state. For lights we will see a difference in the limbo assassin scenes, such as the bar scene and the Moore and Guiteau scene as opposed to the scenes featuring the fairgoers. The limbo scenes will have a dark, dramatic look and the reality scenes will be more saturated and vibrant. Costumes for the ensemble focus on neutral tones; in contrast, the

2 In 2007, “Thirty-three people were killed during the Virginia Tech Massacre in what appears to be the deadliest shooting rampage in American history, according to federal law-enforcement officials” (Hauser and O’Connor). The gunman was Virginia Tech student, Cho Seung-Hui. He was described as extremely quiet by his parents and people who knew him. Miskoff 24

assassins will be in darker colors and period costumes. For “Something Just Broke” the ensemble

will break out of the neutral color scheme and for the first time and be seen in bold colors

reflecting their particular personality. This symbolizes that the American people finally have the

opportunity to vocalize their side of their struggle with assassination. This is the first time they

are not seen as background to the assassins.

One goal I have is to get the audience involved and make them feel like they are a part of

the story. In order to accomplish this, I planted some of the actors in the audience from the very

beginning and then had the Proprietor call them up one at a time in the opening number. This

will give the impression that the assassins are average, everyday people like you and me.

Another opportunity to include the audience in the action is with the song “Something Just

Broke.” For this lament, the actors enter through the audience and make their way up to the stage

as if in a procession in a memorial service. This song surrounds the audience with dim candles

and the voices of the American people singing where they were when they heard the president

was shot. This incorporates the audience into the action of the play, allowing them to connect to

this moment of shared mourning.

From the very beginning of the rehearsal process I wanted to make sure the actors

understood their characters and the major themes of Assassins. I began the rehearsal process with several character workshop days dedicated to the actors so that they could ask questions and find out more about the character they were playing. I followed this up with a character biography day during which each actor came in to rehearsal as his or her character and spoke to the rest of the cast about that character’s history. Along with discussing the historical significance of each character, we also discussed the major themes of Assassins and how I planned to translate those Miskoff 25

ideas to the stage. We spoke about the idea of the American Dream and how this affected each

assassin, the similarities and differences between the assassins, and the important role the media

played in their lives. I wanted to make sure the cast was fully aware of the direction the show

was headed and make a safe learning environment for the show to grow. The rehearsal process

for the show was about eight weeks plus one week for technical aspects. The production of

Assassins was presented on March 18th–20th in Florida State University’s Conradi Studio

Theatre.

Overall, I was more than pleased with the result. All of the elements finally came together

and the show had four performances full of excited audience members. The feedback I received

was overwhelmingly favorable and some comments were exactly what I wanted to hear. One

woman came up to me and said she felt uncomfortable clapping after some of the more serious

scenes such as the book depository scene and “Something Just Broke.” She went on to say, “I

was laughing and cheering for the assassins throughout the play up until ‘Something Just Broke’

and then I felt sympathy and could relate to people whose lives changed after the assassination.”

This response confirmed my direction of the show was clear and that she understood the message

I was trying to get across to the audience. There is not one side to any story and sometimes

things are not black and white. Assassins allows an audience to feel a solid connection to these

assassins—these misfits and outcasts. Within the context of the musical, these historical villains

can be understood and even liked. Assassins confronts the long standing ideals of the American

Dream and challenges American society to take social responsibility in this matter. Miskoff 26

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adams, James T. The Epic of America. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1931. Print.

Corso, Regina. The Harris Poll #69, Positive Ratings: Trends since 9/11/01:

Summary July 12, 2007. Hauser, Christine and Anahad O’Connor. “Virginia Tech Shooting Leaves 33 Dead.” New York Times. (2007). Nytimes.com. 17 April 2007. Web. 13 March 2011 Kirby, Emily Hoban, and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg. "The Youth Vote in 2008." CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) (2009). Civicyouth.org. 17 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. Kleinfield, N.R. “Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence.” New York Times. (2007). Nytimes.com. 22 April 2007. Web. 13 March 2011. Lattimer, John K. Introduction. Kennedy and Lincoln: Medical and Ballistic Comparisons of

Their Assassinations. : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. 651-53

Lifton, Robert J. "THEATER; Assassination: The Ultimate Public Theater." New York Times

(1990). Nytimes.com. 9 Sept. 1990. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. http://tinyurl.com/4mdreok

Miller, Scott. "Assassins and the ." Stephen Sondheim: a Casebook. Ed. Joanne

Lesley Gordon. New York: Garland Pub., 1997. 187-204. Print.

Patterson, Richard. "The Road Ahead: "," "Assassins," "" and the

American Dream." The Sondheim Review 60th ser. 15.4 (2009): 15-16. International

Index to the Performing Arts Full Text. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

Pew Research Center. “Bush and Public Opinion. Reviewing the Bush Years and the Public's Final Verdict.” December 18, 2008. Accessed 13 March 2011 Popat, Mamta. "Jared Lee Loughner." Arizona Daily Star (2010). Nytimes.com. 10 Feb. 2011.

Web. 13 Feb. 2011.

“Report on Presidential Approval.” Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Miskoff 27

Connecticut. Accessed 14 March 2011.

Rich, Frank. “Sondheim and Those Who Would Kill.” New York Times, January 28, 1991.

Nytimes.com. March 1, 2011.

Rich, Frank. “Side by Side by Side.” Theatre Communications Group: American Magazine

(July/ August 2002). http://www.tcg.org/publications/at/2002/side.cfm. 15 Jan. 2011

Rich, Frank. “At Last, 9/11 Has Its Own Musical” New York Times. March 2, 2004.

Nytimes.com. February 2, 2011.

Smolin, Barry. "Sondheim and Teens: Blood in the Clover." The Sondheim Review 62nd ser.

16.2 (2009): 14-16. International Index to the Performing Arts Full Text. Web. 4 Oct.

2010.

Sondheim, Stephen, and John Weidman. Assassins. New York: Theatre Communications Group,

1991. Print.

Starobin, Michael. ""Assassins": The Possibility of Growth." The Sondheim Review 41st ser.

11.1 (2004): 12-14. International Index to the Performing Arts Full Text. Web. 4 Oct.

2010. Miskoff 28

APPENDIX

CHARLES GUITEAU (1841-1882) Assassinated President James Garfield in the waiting room of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, Washington, D.C., July 2, 1881.

EMMA GOLDMAN Turn-of-the-century Anarchist agitator and feminist.

GIUSEPPE ZANGARA (1900-1933) Attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt greeted well-wishers in Bayfront Park, Miami, February 15, 1933.

JOHN HINCKLEY (1955- ) Attempted to assassinate President as he left the Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C., March 30, 1981.

JOHN WILKES BOOTH (1838-1865) Assassinated President during a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater, Washington D.C., April 14, 1865.

LEE HARVEY OSWALD(1939-1963). Assassinated President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963.

LEON CZOLOGOSZ (1873-1901) Assassinated President William McKinley during a public reception at the Temple of Music Pavilion at the Pan American Exposition, Buffalo, N.Y., September 6, 1901.

LYNETTE "SQUEAKY" (1948- ) Attempted to assassinate President as FROMME he left the St. Francis Hotel, Sacramento, CA., September 5, 1975.

SAMUEL BYCK (1930-1974) Attempted to assassinate President ; hijacked a commercial jetliner which he intended to crash dive into the , Baltimore-Washington International Airport, February 22, 1974.

SARA JANE MOORE Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford as he left the St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, CA., September 22, 1975. Miskoff 29